that said, Andy Reid is

Chiefs vs. 49ers: How the Chiefs offense beats San Francisco The Kansas City Chiefs offense is currently the highest-scoring offense in the
league Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Jersey , and is leading the league in points per drive. It has committed the fewest turnovers and is in the top 10 for yards
gained.In other words, through the first two games of the year, the offense has
been special — exceptionally special — and the offense looks to continue that
performance this week in the home opener against the San Francisco 49ers.After
last week’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, I wrote about how impossible
it will be to slow down — let alone stop — the Chiefs offensive
attack.Certainly, the 49ers will try, so let’s examine how the Chiefs could
defeat their efforts. The 49ers defense has given up some points, but as some
have pointed out, some of those points have been in garbage time — and the
Vikings also scored on an interception return.But it’s also true that the
offenses they have faced so far are nothing in comparison to the Chiefs offense
they will see on Sunday. The Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions presented
quality wide receivers to the 49ers defense, but none possess the speed or big
play threat that Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, and even Travis Kelce do this
weekend.Down in The Laboratory, we dialed up the film of the first two matchups
for the 49ers and came away with a plan on how the Chiefs could dominate yet
another defense. The 49ers DefensePersonnelThe 49ers play a lot of nickel
personnel, with four down linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs —
usually three CBs and two safeties. Given the addition of Reuben Foster to the
defense — and their zone-heavy approach — they will most likely stick with that
lineup as much as possible, which could open them up a little bit to the four
wide/empty sets the Chiefs have sometimes employed.Pass defenseThe 49ers are
another Cover 3 team — in the mold of Seattle — that prefers to keep three
defenders deep and four defenders covering the underneath zones. They will mix
it up by playing man coverage — with a single high safety behind them — more
often than some other Seattle-based Cover 3 teams, but all of their cornerbacks
look more comfortable playing the deep third rather than man-to-man.They
organize their Cover 3 pretty traditionally, with both CBs dropping to a deep
third, while the free safety takes the middle of the field, the strong safety
plays one of the middle hook zones Ron Parker Jersey , and the linebackers (or nickel CBs) take the outermost hook zones.At the second level, Fred Warner has been an absolute stud for them,
and now with the addition of Reuben Foster and Jaquiski Tarrt at strong safety,
it makes their underneath coverage very fast and aggressive.The 49ers rush is
centered around DeForest Buckner — who has been amazing this year — but as long
as offensive linemen play with patience and sound technique, it takes the 49ers
pass rush a couple of seconds to hit home. They aren’t afraid to show blitz and
bring it, but they typically stay in their base zone defense. Run defenseOn the
defensive line, the 49ers have strong, long defenders that occupy blockers and
disengage well. It’s hard to win leverage across against their front four —
which on most plays, makes it challenging to get blockers to the second
level.Without Foster up until this week, it’s been the Fred Warner show, and
he’s raised some eyebrows. Both Foster and Warner are explosive, aggressive
players that will commit to runs early based on what they are seeing. In
addition, Tartt — and most of the 49ers secondary — are very good tacklers,
which limits gains on the edges or the second level. How the Chiefs winBasic
gameplanThe general plan against any Cover 3-heavy team doesn’t change a whole
lot, and it’s a defense the Chiefs will likely see a lot this year as teams try
to limit their vertical attack.But the investment in players deep on the field
leaves only four defenders underneath to stop any form of zone-beater or
crossing concept designed to get players in space.The 49ers are in a unique
position to actually defend the underneath area well with their general team
speed, but the Chiefs can outmatch even Foster and Warner. When attacking
vertically — which the Chiefs will certainly do — there are specific route
combinations that do just that, as I outlined before the Falcons preseason game
— specifically verticals and 7-9 concepts that ask deep third defenders to take
on two or more receivers in their zone. When running the football, this is a
matchup that should favor the Chiefs outside zone-heavy approach. as it takes
advantage of aggressive defenders — as long as the running back keeps their eyes
up and looks for the correct gap. Mixing in more power and gap-blocking elements
are still something to watch for because defensive lines are still slanting and
crashing into the run strength of the Chiefs — but if there was ever a week to
stick to their guns, this is it. Find Waldo49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon
has been dealing with a lingering ankle injury that has perhaps played a role in
his slow start to the season Allen Bailey Jersey , but for whatever reason, he is target number one.Even if his replacement Jimmie Ward steps onto the field, this will be the sure-fire
week spot in the 49ers secondary, and whoever is playing, they’ll always be
lined up at the RCB spot on the left side of the offense.Witherspoon is
typically late opening his hips when a receiver shows any indication of breaking
their route early, and has difficulty moving his feet off the line when
pressing. He’s looked better overall when bailing off the line of scrimmage —
but even when he’s in position to make a play on the football, he has still
surrendered catches.If the Chiefs can identify man coverage pre-snap,
Witherspoon should be the target over 75% of the time, as he has shown no
ability to track a receiver across the field. Test the deep watersThe 49ers play
a defensive scheme designed to limit big plays over the top and force you to
throw the ball underneath them so that they can swarm to the ball.In theory,
this works great — that is, for teams like the 49ers or Seahawks in their heyday
— that can close on the ball quickly. The key is to avoid getting beat deep, and
even outside of Witherspoon, this may not be as easy to do against the
Chiefs.Adrian Colbert — the center fielder — is very much like Ron Parker in
that he is happy to jump routes to try to make a play. This often results in
receivers sneaking in behind him, or failing to identify a receiver coming into
his zone until it’s too late. Colbert’s eye discipline just isn’t great, and
from what Mahomes has shown thus far, I would expect him to manipulate the him
with ease. Richard Sherman — the other safety — has looked very good this
year.But he is an older defensive back coming off of a major injury, and still
looks like a guy who has to get his hands on even adequately-fast players in
order to stay with them.In training camp — admittedly while Sherman was still
working back from an injury — he was often beaten deep by his teammate Marquise
Goodwin. Goodwin just happens to be the one guy in the NFL that may rival Tyreek
Hill’s speed, so if the Chiefs can get that matchup — or even one with Sammy
Watkins — they need to test it. Slants, slants Eric Fisher Jersey , and more slantsAgainst Cover 3 — or even man coverage — when you know your receiver has the speed advantage, threatening vertically and
then breaking into a slant is nearly impossible to defend.This will be an
advantage for the Chiefs all season.Defenders won’t be able to play these slants
with the speed of the Chiefs receivers — and Mahomes’ arm — so the slants will
be open often. In addition, the 49ers DBs aren’t the quickest in their
transitions, and their hook defenders are often coming from near the tackle box,
so there is usually plenty of space to hit these slants and pick up
yardage.Especially if the Chiefs work out of a bunch or empty sets that place
unique stresses on a zone defense, hitting these slants will start to open up
the intermediate throwing lanes — just as it happened in the game against the
Chargers after Hill’s first receiving touchdown. Run your runsWe’ve long wished
for the Chiefs to use more power and gap running styles, and they’ve flashed the
ability to do so out of spread formations.This particular game, however, is one
in which their RPOs, outside zone, and counter running game may be the best
choice. The 49ers defensive line is good at holding up to multiple blockers,
which allows them to keep their fast second-level players clean and flowing to
the football.Getting the flow of the run play one direction before cutting back
inside — or across the field — has had some success in limited attempts against
them. Kareem Hunt should be reading his keys the entire run, but on every run,
should definitely keep in mind that the 49ers defense is aggressive; their back
side linebackers and safeties can get out of their run fits very quickly to make
plays. The Bang aspect of outside zone should be open often, as well as counters
and the back side passes of RPOs. ExpectationsNot to get too far ahead of
ourselves here, but the Chiefs offense may not always need a super-diverse game
plan to take care of opposing defenses; the talent of the receivers and
quarterback may prove to simply be too much for most defenses to handle —
similar to the Green Bay Packers in the last decade.With that said, Andy Reid is
an offensive genius that will always have tricks up his sleeve to make the
offense even more deadly, and make everything easier for his young QB.The 49ers
defense isn’t great — or terrible — but keeping things simple will go a long way
in making the offense look fluid and easy while we await the next big play. ST.
JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Tyreek Hill was contrite but repentant in his first comments
since he was banished from the Kansas City Chiefs following an audio recording
in which his then-fiancee accused him of hurting their son.The star wide
receiver declined Sunday to discuss the specifics of his case Demetrius Harris Jersey , which wound to a conclusion late last week when the NFL declined to punish him for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
But he did apologize for the precarious situation he left the Chiefs in this
past offseason.“I’ve learned to just appreciate those around me,” Hill said
after the Chiefs’ second workout of training camp at Missouri Western. “I feel
like I take that for granted sometimes, being a professional athlete. I tend to
not stay humble, you know what I’m saying? I still love my kids and I still love
my family, but I feel like sometimes I take all of those things for granted.”The
Chiefs were poised to make their first selection in the NFL draft when the
graphic, secretly taped audio of Hill and Crystal Espinal aired on a local TV
station. The Chiefs quickly suspended the two-time All-Pro from all team-related
activities and, uncertain of Hill’s future with the organization, used a
second-round pick on speedy wide receiver Mecole Hardman.Hill remained barred
from the team during voluntary summer workouts and the Chiefs’ mandatory
minicamp, even after the local district attorney decided there was not enough
evidence to pursue charges.The NFL was still weighing whether to punish Hill
under terms of its personal conduct policy when it sent investigators to Kansas
City late last month. During an eight-hour session, Hill supplied the league
with his side of the story, laying out the facts from his point of
view.“(Commissioner) Roger Goodell and his team did their thing. They dug in,
got all the facts, and I’m very appreciative of those guys as well,” Hill said.
“The meeting was long. It was probably the longest meeting of my life. It was
crazy. What I was trying to get across was just the facts, man.”The NFL
ultimately decided late last week that it would not punish Hill, and the Chiefs
immediately announced that his team-issued suspension was lifted and he would be
reporting to training camp.He was not available to reporters during check-in day
Friday, nor did Hill speak following the Chiefs’ first practice Saturday. But he
was carried to the practice field by a chorus of fans chanting “Tyreek! Tyreek!”
in what could only be described as a groundswell of support.It was a 180-degree
turn from the sentiments most fans had just a few months ago.“The love feels
good, to come back out here and get a chance,” Hill said. “I’m on a new journey
as far as me growing as a father and as a human.”There is still an ongoing
investigation by the Kansas Department for Children and Families Cameron Erving Jersey , and Hill said he could not discuss that case. Nor would he discuss the specifics of a recent sit-down that he had with Clark Hunt, the
Chiefs’ chairman and the most visible face of the ownership family.Hill did
acknowledge learning a lesson he hoped to pass on to younger players.“You can
look at me and tell I’ve been through a lot,” he said, “even when I first came
into the league. I had a bad history. Just be thankful for the ones around you,
stay humble and grounded, love your parents and your kids — if you have kids —
and just work hard.”Hill caught 12 touchdown passes and set a franchise record
with 1,479 yards receiving last season, earning his third Pro Bowl trip in as
many seasons. It’s a big reason why the Chiefs were interested in signing him to
a long-term deal as he entered the final year of his rookie contract.Where those
talks now stand remains in question.“It was good having him back out there,”
Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said Sunday. “He is an intelligent
kid. He picked up right where he left off. “He’s doing a heck of a job.”NOTES:
DT Chris Jones insisted he always planned to report to camp, even after missing
the entire offseason while angling for a new contract. He is also entering the
final year of his rookie deal. “I’d love to spend the rest of my career here,”
Jones said, “but I’m focused on learning the new defense, the new scheme.” … FS
Jordan Lucas and RB Damien Williams left practice early with hamstring
injuries.